In September 2019, when I was in Japan for the 100 Years of Yuri Tour, I had an item on my to-buy list that I honestly expected to have difficulty finding. Shunkanbunshun WOMAN, Volume 3 Natsugou (週刊文春WOMAN 夏号). This mook is a several-times a year special edition that is somewhere between a literary and a lifestyle magazine, addressing topics of interest to women or about women. It’s not a fashion/makeup magazine, although the advertising is, clearly, fashion and makeup.  Summer 2019 included tｗo articles of interest to me and I hoped I’d be able to find it. It was a wildcard on my list, and I honestly expected to have to special order it. I was surprised to find it pretty much in every place I shopped. Luck of the draw, undoubtedly.

In any case, it has taken me almost a year to crack it open to read Yamawaki Asou’s article “Ima Yuri Manga ga Omoshiroi!” – presumably riffing on the popular publication, Kono Manga ga Sugoi!. The article is, itself, pretty interesting. It includes feedback from Comic Yuri Hime editor Umezawa Kanako and columnist Fukusawa Maki, and it includes a number of very gratifying quotes by manga scholar Fujimoto Yukari. I say gratifying, because she and I have discussed the series she talks about many times together, so when she calls Shiroi Heya no Futari by Yamagishi Ryouko a “protoype” Yuri, it feels like a win for me. There’s also a discussion of the changing demographics of the fandom and how the content has shifted to accommodate those changes.

It’s a pretty good overview of Yuri, the changes we’ve seen over the decades, and the reasons for them. There’s a little bit about overseas fandom and a nice wrap up of the kind of “shakaijin” Yuri we’re seeing now. The article also mentions the inclusion of LGBTQ characters and issues in recent years The manga included was also a generally good selection of “best of breed” from the last two decades. With one exception – I will never, ever really understand how Yuru Yuri gets on Yuri lists, when there’s so little Yuri as to be negligible. . I think the list was worth reading, though, and reminded me I really need to read Yamashita Tomoko’s Ikoku Nikki (違国日記, which has been on my eventually to get to list for a couple of years, now.

Following this article is an interview with Shimura Takako, creator of Aoi Hana and Otono ni Nattemo, among other titles. It goes pretty well for an interview with a manga creator, although there were no amazing insights.

Ratings

Overall – A very solid 8

I’m pleased I was able to get this magazine and pleased that the summer of our 100 years of Yuri included this review of the genre for a – hopefully – new audience!